The Devotion of Life — Page 253
253 A true believer is one who remains resolved on what the heart has decided. The Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said it is incumbent upon him to give alms, who decides to give alms; it is necessary for one to offer 'nafl' who decides to offer 'nafl' (optional Salat). A true believer’s intention is binding for him and confines him. However, once a moderate believer dedicates himself, he cannot be at liberty even if he is not accepted. In case of not being accepted for service of faith, if he, for example, studies medicine, then it is his obligation to limit his medical practice to the minimum and spend the rest of his time in the service of the faith. If one is an engineer, then he should spend minimum amount of time on engineering and maximum time on service of the faith. If one is in employment then after giving the employment the mandatory time he should spend the rest of the time in service of the faith. He should then remain on the lookout for the next call for service of the faith. As soon as he hears about it he should offer himself again saying that he is a devotee, that he was not accepted at an earlier stage at such and such time and that he offers himself again. Even if he is not accepted all his life it is still his obligation to consider himself dedicated. If he does not do this he will be deemed one who breaks a promise and a defector in the eyes of God. So, one who has dedicated himself at any time can never be free from this. My or anyone else’s rejection at any time does not liberate him from the